Telephones have long been used to communicate between geographically remote locations. The process of communication involves using two devices capable of receiving and transmitting voice signals over a voice data capable network. The network could be any of a variety of networks in current use including fixed line telephone networks, or wireless Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and satellite networks.
A telephone converts analog voice signals to digital signals for transmitting over wireless or wired networks and then converts the signals back from digital to analog at the receiving end. Over the years, a concept of voice mail was introduced which allowed for voice data to be stored at a system in the receiving telephone's network without the need for manual interruption. The voice data can later be retrieved by the receiving telephone after an authentication process, if required. The sender usually has no access to the voice data on the receiver's end once the communication has been completed.
Some existing computer and VOIP based communication services like Foonz (vvwvv.foonz.com) offers a method for confirmation on voice mail delivery using VOIP services for communication. This is similar to Short Messaging Services (SMS) protocols for SMS delivery responses. However, the voice data stored on a system at the receiver's end can be deleted in error or deliberately; can be lost during transmission; can be corrupted or lost because of any failure at the stored system. Also, the sender will have to rely on the receiver to communicate as to whether the message was actually sent (or received), the contents of the message and information related to the message, such as time, date and length. This may be problematic in certain situations, such as when the sender and receiver are adverse parties in a business or legal matter.